Secondary clock.



M. W. OBERMILLBR. SECONDARY oLooK.

APPLIGATION FILED APRA?, 1910.

@9i/mmm l v 1 @www 35% 2g W @Lw Patented Aug. 23, 1910. 9

MAXIMILLIAN W. OBERMILLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SECONDARY CLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

Application filed April 27, 1910. Serial No. 557,938.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, MAXIMILLIAN VV1L- LIAM OBERMILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Secondary Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to secondary clocks, and has for its object an improvement in the structure of such as will enable them to be used either with current sent in one direction through them, or with current sent in opposite directions through them, as well as a mechanism which is simple and compact and capable of operating clocks of comparatively large dimensions with small operating mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like parts are similarly designated-Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a full sized secondary clock mechanism made in accordance with my invention, and capable of operating the hands of a clock up to twentyseven inches face diameter. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing the mechanism in side elevation.

The clock comprises a base plate 2, of brass, or other suitable material, provided with ears 3, through which pass screws 4, for securing the clock movement in its case. On the base is mounted a soft iron plate 5, provided with slots (3 through which pass screws 7 for securing the plate to the base 2, and permitting this plate with the magnets thereon to be adjusted to and from the time mechanism. This iron plate 5 has its lower portion 5a bent at substantially right angles to form a shelf or support for the electro-magnets, and is provided with perforated ears S in which is pivoted an armature 9.

The electro-magnets 10, preferably two in number, are connected in series, and their windings are connected to terminals 11 mounted on, and insulated from the base plate 2, as is customary. The soft iron cores 12 of these magnets are secured on the rightangled portion 5a of the soft iron plate 5.

Above the armature is a post 13 in which is a set-screw 14 against .which the pivoted armature 9 is held by means of a spring 15 connected at one end to an eye 16 on the armature, and at the other end to a set-screw 17 mounted in a bracket 1S secured to the base 2. The set-screw 14 adjusts the distance of the armature 9 from the ends of the magnet cores 12, while the set-screw 17 adjusts the tension of the spring 15. Secured on each side of the base plate 2 are posts 19, and extending between these posts is a bridge 20.

The time mechanism comprises the minute wheel shaft 21 having bearing at one end in the base blate 2 and at the other end in bridge 20, and beyond the bridge carries sleeve 22 of the hour-hand. The minute wheel-shaft 21 carries an escapement wheel 23 having sixty straight teeth, and it also carries a pinion 24 having twelve teeth which gear with a wheel 25 having thirty-six teeth mounted on an arbor 2G secured in a bracket 27 mounted on one of the posts 19. The wheel 25 carries a pinion 28 having ten teeth that mesh with the hour .wheel 29 having forty teeth, said hour wheel 29 being mounted on the sleeve 22 that carries the hour hand 30.

Mounted on an arbor 31 journaled at one end in base plate 2 and at the other end in a bracket 32 is an escapement anchor 33 and a short crank 34 in which is a crank pin 35. Mounted loose on the crank pin 35 is an eye 3G at the upper end of a wire 37. This wire is provided with an upper collar 38 and a lower collar 39. The wire passes through the armature 9 opposite to the side at which it is pivoted. Mounted on the wire 37 between the upper collar 38 and the armature 9 is a spring 40, and a similar spring 41 is mounted thereon between the lower face of the armature and the lower collar 39 thus forming a yielding connection between the wire and armature. The minute hand 42 is mounted on the end of the minute wheel shaft 21.

Current impulses, in one direction only or in opposite directions, are sent every minute from a master clock to the secondaries connected thereto, to energize the magnets 10. The magnets attract their armatures 9 which swing downward on their pivots against the stress of a spring 15, and in so doing act on spring 41 below' the armature to pull down wire 37, crank 34, and oscillate the escapement anchor 83 whose right hand tooth a turns the escapement wheel 23 one-half of one tooth, or minute space, that is indicated on the dial (not shown) by the minute hand 42. When the armature makes its return movement under the action of spring 15, after being denergized or released by the magnets, this upward movement causes the escapement anchor 33 to swing in an opposite direction, whereby the left hand tooth b of the escapement anchor engages wheel 23 and moves the wheel and minute hand through another half minute. These two movements follow one another rapidly, and are accomplished usually in less than a second of time. The hour hand is correspondingly moved one-twelfth the distance by the reducing train 24, 25, 27 and 28, in a well known manner.

It is of particular advantage to have the magnetic current pass through a substantially closed metallic path including the cores 12 of magnets, the soft iron plate 5, and armature 9. This increases the magnetism in the armature and permits the construction of an armature of considerable power much lighter in weight than usual. Another feature of great advantage is the cushioning effect of springs 40 and 41 that form a yielding connection between the armature 9 and the wire 37. This is of advantage in that the inert-ia of long hands is considerable, and permits al gradual starting of the hands by the escapement anchor 33, and at the same time a gradual stopping of them, so that they will not over-ride. The straight teeth on the escapement wheel 23 permit a slight play with respect to the escapement anchor, and thus allows the minute hand to over-ride a fraction of an interdental space, it being immediately brought back to proper position by the springs 10 and 41. The spring 15 lifts the armature 9 when currenthas ceased to flow through the electro-inagnets, and returns the escapement anchor into the position shown in Fig. 1.

I claim- 1. In a secondary clock, the combination with an electro-magnet and its movable armature; of an escapement wheel, an escapement anchor therefor, a crank on the escapement, a wire between the crank and armature, and means to yieldingly connect the wire and armature.

2. In a secondary clock, the combination with an electro-magnet and its movable armature; of an escapement wheel, an escapement anchor therefor, a crank on the escapement anchor, a wire connected at one end to the crank and at the other end passing through the armature, and a spring on each side of the armature secured tosaid wire.

3. In a secondary clock, the combination with an electro-magnet and its armature pivoted at one side; of an escapement wheel,

an escapement anchor therefor, al crank on the escapement anchor, a wire connected at one end to the crank on the escapement anchor and having its other end passing the armature at its other side, collars on the wire above and below the armature, and coil springs on the wire between the collars and armature.

l. In a secondary clock, the combination with the escapement anchor of a time mechanism; of an armature for actuating the same, an electiomagnet, a soft iron plate on which said electro-magnet is mounted and to which the armature is pivoted, whereby the magnet cores, iron plate and armature form a nearly closed pat-h for the magnetic flux.

5. In a secondary clock, the combination with the escapement anchor of a time mechanism; of a soft iron plate having a lower port-ion bent at substantially right angles, and having ears on its upper portion, electro-magnets whose cores are secured to said lower portion, and an armature pivoted at one side in said ears to actuate the time mechanism.

6. In a secondary clock, the combination with an electro-magnet and its movable armature; of an escapement wheel having straight teeth, an escapement therefor, a crank on the escapement and a wire connected to the crank and yieldingly connect-- ed to the armature.

7. In an electric clock, the combination with anl electro-magnet and its armature; of an escapementwheel, an escapement anchor therefor, a crank on the escapement anchor, a wire between the crank and armature, an adjustable stop, and a spring to hold the armature against the stop when the armature is demagnetized.

8. In an electric secondary clock, a soft iron plate having a lower portion bent at substantially right angles, an electro-magnet whose cores are secured to said lower portion, an armature pivoted at one side in the ears, an escapement wheel having straight teeth, an escapement therefor, a crank on the escapement, a wire mounted at its upper end on the crank and having its lower end passing through the armature at the other side, springs on the wire between which the armature is resiliently held, an adjustable stop for the armature and an adjust-able spring to hold the armature against its stop when demagnetize'd.

9. In a secondary clock, the combination with a base plate; of a soft iron plate, means to adjust it on the base plate, an electromagnet whose core is secured to the plate, an armature pivoted at one side to the plate and time mechanism actuated by the armature.

10. In a secondary clock, the combination with an electro-magnet and its armature; of an escapement anchor, an escapement wheel therefor, a minute hand arbor on which said In testimony that I claim the foregoing escapement Wheel 1s mounted, means to opas my lnventlon, I have slgned my name 1n 10 erate the escapement anchor from the arpresence of tWo subscribing Witnesses. mature, and :t retraetlng sprlng for the armature, said escapement anchor operating MAXIMILIAN W OBERMULER' the escapement Wheel upon each movement Wltnesses: of the arma-ture one-half of the designed F M. OBERMILLER,

movement of the minute hand arbor. G. E. MARSHALL. 

